September 2006
West Coast/Namibia Tour
Hi Jurgen,
Hope alls well with you. Just to say a huge thank you to Celia, you and your team for a quite unbelievable West Coast Tour in September. Some of the dust from my jacket has faded a bit but all the photos people keep sending means that memories are still strong! Im sure others on the trip have e-mailed similar thanks – we really got on so well and had a lot of fun. I can imagine that further trips between us may well happen!
I think I was probably the most nervous participant initially – having only had my license for 3 years and being a woman travelling alone etc. The guys at Huijs Haarlem sorted me out though and quickly after meeting you and Celia and the others on the trip, I realised no need for nerves. Bikers are nice people! And we all continue to learn etc. I think my riding improved through the ten days – I calculated that I did more miles on the trip than I had done on a bike previously! Im still not that keen on windy mountain passes at any great speed – but there was never a problem to let others pass whilst I took in the views!
It was a quite fantastic trip- some big miles for sure and the extent of gravel and off-tarmac riding took some people by surprise I know. I think having travelled in southern Africa before, I was less surprised by the distances and the condition of the roads were way better than many other countries in the region. Also, I think the fact that I had done a short course back home with BMW on off-road skills helped me. Travelling the distances, feeling the size of the country, being away from main roads and crossing into Namibia were keys to the trip for me. And then all those spring flowers through Namaqualand – quite amazing!
I think we all wished we could stay longer in all the guesthouses we stopped in. The accommodation and hospitality (and the wine) were fabulous. I felt bad leaving trails of red dust in most of them! My favourite stops though were the ones along the road – taking shade wherever it was and having Wagner pull up with cold cokes. Celia seemed to have an unlimited supply of goodies in her tank bag as well!
Definitely hope to be back soon. I had such a good time on all fronts that I cannot really imagine how to improve on a holiday. But Celia tells me that the Klein Karoo is even better…
Many thanks and all best wishes,
Jenny
Brighton, England